The high season for whale watching is February and March but occasionally it will extend to early April. During this time humpback whales traveling to the Northeast areas of Maine and Massachusetts making a brief stop in the Virgin Islands thus allowing their calves to build up a layer of blubber for warmth before they continue their journey northward to more frigid waters.

Adult Humpbacks can easily reach a length of 50 feet, weighing up to 40 tons and are distinguished by the white on their dorsal fins and tail. An adult Humpback can consume up to 3,000 pounds of food a day. But as the Caribbean doesn’t offer an abundance of food for them they may lose up to 20% of their weight while here but quickly regained it once they reach colder waters where food is more plentiful.

I have on occasion seen a pod of them just below the villas and they are a sight to behold. One of the several reasons each villa is outfitted with multiple sets of binoculars.

There are several whale watching boats available for you, just let me know and I’ll get you information.

Island Status

We are now more than four months removed from Hurricane’s IRMA and Maria. The initial devastation dealt to St. John has now made amazing recovery. National Parks are now open, hiking trails have been cleared and ready for you. It seems like each day another restaurant is reopening after repairs. Oh, that’s not to say you won’t see a number of buildings which are beyond repair. In fact, the Lumber Yard that contained a number of small businesses will probably be torn down due to its structural condition.

Tourists are again visiting and I’m amazed at the number of individuals that have never been to St. John before. When talking to them they are in awe of the current beauty of the island. I suppose this is possible as they have no reference point to compare St. John to now versus what it looked before the hurricanes.

While people are coming back, I’m pleasantly surprised by a lack of individuals at any given time enjoying the beautiful beaches. Most beaches are pretty deserted or nearly so. It’s like the island clock was turned back ten years to a time before the influx of tourists created by HGTV shows focusing on St. John.

My villa repairs are all done but many other villas are just commencing to address their repair requirements. The two biggest issues these owner/management companies face is getting materials from the states and finding qualified skilled individuals to perform the work.

There has been some serious price “gouging” on St. John for renovation work since the storm. In some instances, companies have increased their prices by 50% to 100%. In fact, I used very little local talent and instead brought in my own guys from California, Florida, and Texas who I have known for years. It just so happened they arrived the same day as electric power was restored to Bordo Mare and Sopra Mare. They stayed at the villas without windows and doors but still had water for showers and electric at night. They did a great job by quickly addressing and repairing all major issues. Maybe it was self-preservation on their part by replacing windows and doors they assured themselves a dry place to stay.

I believe this outside crew is the sole reason I got nearly all repairs done by Christmas. Oh, there was still work to be done in January but I had local guys I knew from past building projects and could depend on their work on site after their regular day jobs and on weekends to do the work. They didn’t disappoint and I appreciate them very much for extending the normal work week by another ten to fifteen hours on weekends.

Shameless Marketing

I am now getting back to some sense of order. Here’s your last chance for a great February discount if your timeframe is not too short and you can make a quick decision. The discount for February is so great I won’t even give you prices in this newsletter. You gotta ask me, but if you live in the Northeast, a quick trip to St. John might just be in order for you! Airlines seemingly are adding flights to St. Thomas each day and soon all flights will be restored.

Anyway, this is what I still have available on short notice for February with “huge” discounts for both villas plus some limited weeks for seven nights in March.

This is the first upbeat newsletter I’ve delivered in a while and I’m hoping the first of many more. Villa choices are pretty slim right now due to repairs going on whatever size villa you need. Make sure when you talk to someone about a place you absolutely ask:

Is the villa totally ready for guests and are all repairs done?Any construction noise close by?

I’m looking forward to you coming to St. John and of course staying with me. But whatever place you chose to stay you will have an amazing time!

This is Super Bowl weekend and I’ll put this out Monday just in case you’re in massive hangover recovery mode coupled with party let down and can’t make it to work Monday! By the way, just for information, 15% of the workforce does not make it to work Monday after Super Bowl.

A couple of exciting newsletters are coming up in March and April that I know you’ll enjoy. Hoping to hear from you. I’m off to the world of uncertainty from February 7th to March 10th to enjoy another adventure.